As the retail industry continues to become more competitive, keeping items in stock and timely replenishment of out-of-stock items at retail stores is increasingly important in attracting and maintaining customers. Large retailers typically utilize centralized warehouses, or distribution centers, to supply goods to multiple retail stores. Fast and efficient transfer of incoming goods from vendors to retail stores having inventory needs is necessary for distribution centers to properly maintain the inventories of their associated retail stores.
Shipments of goods are generally hauled by carriers, who typically deliver the goods to the distribution centers by truck. Trucks having relatively homogenous loads, such as trucks carrying a single type of product from a single manufacturer, can generally be unloaded and have their contents verified relatively quickly. However, trucks having mixed loads containing a wide variety of products from multiple manufacturers, such as trucks carrying loads from consolidators or import warehouses, can be difficult and time consuming to unload as each package, or carton, must be individually evaluated by distribution center personnel to identify its contents and determine how it is to be distributed. Such a time consuming receiving process is costly and can result in undesirable delays in delivering goods to retails stores having inventory needs.